Murder .. Me And The Building

Screeching noise it was. As you would hear when an iron nail is scratched against a tile, I could hear the sound clearly thanks to the silence of the night. Pitch dark it was being a no moon day. Maybe a cat or dog is onto some thing I thought. With that assumption, I slid onto the chair and tried to get back to my sleep. 

The noise increased its decibel.  It wasn't continuous. The noise increased and reduced at times. This was my first night as a security guard. Though I have been working as a security guard for a while but it was only during day time.

The sudden leave of my colleague at the security agency made me take the night shift. 

I couldn't sleep. Shall I go and check what the noise is? Or should I just neglect and try concentrating on my sleep? With questions all over, I tried closing my eyes. 

Suddenly there was a loud sound. Someone was banging the door. With me in half-sleep, I couldn't even get up and check. I just slept off. 

Next day morning as I woke up, I couldn't even lift my shoulder. Terrible pain it was. While I was trying to clear up my morning blues, I noticed that my shirt was half torn in the sleeves. My hand had bruises all over. Shockingly, I just stood up and ran over to the nearest tea shop. 

While I ordered a tea and tried to do the face wash with the jug water, I could see red colour spillover on the ground. Terrified, I just asked for a mirror at the tea shop. There were bruises all over and my nose was bleeding slightly. 

With restlessness and shock, I tried getting out of the scene as the people watched over. 

When I returned to my house, I just lied to my roommates that I fell from the bike. With injuries matching the same, I didn't have to explain further. I went to bed trying to recollect what could have happened.

With the night shift tiredness, I dozed off. I started the job again in the evening. 

My eyes turning cautious I waited for the night to slip in.

I checked my watch. It was eight o clock. I went for washing my hands for the dinner inside the building. It was dark as the moon was growing after yesterday's no moon day. 

I was watching carefully as water drained down my hands. Bushes were all standing still. 

For my safety, I turned the mobile torch on those dark areas. Nothing seemed abnormal.

After finishing the dinner, again I continued the same ritual. Today I will find out what noise it was.  With solid resolve, I browsed through the youtube videos and at times checking with my mobile torch. 

Time was 11:00 pm and my mobile charge had almost drained down. I went to the security cabin and kept the mobile for charging. Feeling sleepy, I felt I should go for tea.

Confirming that the gates were locked, I started walking towards the tea shop. The stretch to the tea shop was completely engulfed in the dark. There were empty spaces on both sides of the road with bushes decorating the fences.  

I was walking confidently as I heard a noise in the bush. I just stopped. With a pinch of fear setting in, I switched on the torch which I got from the agency. It didn't switch on for a while. Cursing the agency, I was trying to switch it on by opening the backside and changing the battery positions. 

As my hands were slowly trembling with nervousness, I lost the hold of the battery. It just fell on the road. Scolding myself for the carelessness, I started to search for the battery with my hands as I sat on the road to get the feel of battery. Darkness painted on the road, all I could see was just the sketchy features of bushes, road surface. At a distance, a small light was on. That was the tea shop. 

The noise in the bush was still audible. With nervous hands, I grabbed onto something. Fortunately, that was the battery. With the victory smile, I marched towards the tea shop.

Everywhere there were the noise of crickets, some random barks of dogs. The torch was my only saviour in the black atmosphere. 

 I approached the tea shop only to see that it was closed. With disappointment written all over my face, I initiated my travel backward to the building. More than the tea, I wanted to see a human face only to get moral support in the darkness I have got myself into.

Walking back was looking like a long one. The bushes gave more noise this time. Curiosity mixing with fear I flashed the torchlight onto the bushes. There were two cats fighting over a caught rat.  Smiling with relief, I started to get to the building gate.

The time was 11:30 pm. My friend had suggested a movie to watch. Guess this would be the right time so that I would not sleep, I started to watch the movie on mobile with no headset. Who is there to tell me that it is disturbing. At least I will feel like I have some company. 

Movie was a humorous one with good songs. When the interval came, it was 12:30 am. I paused the movie for nature's call keeping the mobile in charge again. 

After completing my break, I just walked little away from the gate trying to get some energy. 

Suddenly I heard a noise. It was similar to what I heard yesterday. I started to run in the direction of the noise. It was coming from inside the building. I quickly opened the gate and just ran in the direction of noise.

Another loud sound came as I entered the building. With fear, I opened the door.  When I searched for the light, that's when I realised, I had kept the torch in my place. Should I go and get back? As I was thinking about the same, suddenly a spark of light came from the top floor.

I shouted, "who is there?"  The light went off after my shout. Thought some animal might have come in. I just turned back and wanted to get the torch. 

I ran to the gate to get the torch.  When I took the torch, I searched for a long stick which the colleague of mine used for the beats. While I was searching, I heard continuous noise from inside the building. Panicking to the noise, I couldn't get the stick. I got hold of the cleaning mop which was nearby and started to walk inside the building.

My second trial to get inside the building was even more fearful as the noise didn't stop to my shouts. I ventured slowly into the building. With mop on one hand and torch at the other, I struggled to open the door. With my legs, I banged open the door. With the banging, the noise stopped. 

Definitely someone is inside I felt. I slowly walked inside the building getting on to the first floor. 

When I opened the door of the first-floor room, I heard a noise at the ground floor. Slowly I came down to the ground floor. I heard a song playing. It was my mobile ringing. 

Who is calling in the middle of the night? I continued my search inside the building as my mobile kept ringing. 

Now with nothing visible, I walked back to the security booth where my mobile was kept charging. When I searched for a missed call, I could see there was no information. 

Shocked to the core, I heard the mobile song coming from the building. I am always a simple guy who talks of all courage and stuff. But when it comes to a stage like this today, I couldn't handle it. My body started to shiver, sweat was flowing down all over my face even in the chilly night. 

Should I stay or should I get inside the building? A dilemma which I didn't want to answer.

I thought let me stay at the gate only. Nothing will happen if I stay at the gate. I told myself all prayers and was trying to get back to my movie watching to divert my attention.

I could hardly recollect any dialogue or any scene as my eyes were wandering every now and then inside the building. 

Time was 2 am. Movie got over. I felt a little relaxed as the noise had stopped some time back and there was no problem till then.

I think I should sleep to divert my attention. I tried sleeping. Now I saw the whole building was lit up. Noise started to increase. It was almost deafening my ears. 

Today is the last day of my life, I felt.  I was thinking of my parents, sister and all the life as the noise grew. 

Suddenly the noise started to come from the bushes on the road. There was a heavy wind as the gates opened. I thought I should get inside the building to see. But my fear didn't allow me to. I started to run here and there without any direction.

Finally I got hit by the building door and fell down. I was in the middle of the door entrance.  Neither inside house nor outside.

I tried getting up but couldn't as my leg got stuck up in the door hinge. 

That's when I saw something. There was a black-dressed something which was moving here and there. I screamed at the sight of it. I have never seen anything like that till now.

As it ran a mock inside the building I was lying down trying to stand up. When I stood up finally it came exactly face to face with me.

Just a black apron with nobody. As it just came near me, I was slapped on my head by something. I fell unconscious.

When I woke up I saw I was in the hospital. I learnt that there was a murder near the building site. 

Police asked me the questions and I answered them with whatever I knew. They started laughing and said we think you are the culprit. Anyways we will wait till we get some clues, that was their comment.

I returned back to my village and never went for the security job again. 

As Suresh summarised his experiences with paranormal activities, I recorded the experiences.

My name is Rahul and I am a researcher on paranormal theories. Drinking the tea, " Suresh, do you know where the murder had happened that night?" , Suresh said" I never asked about it as I was afraid to ask. After that night I have never stayed alone especially at night."  I smiled and thanked him for sharing his experiences.

With my detective instincts on , I came to the exact building where Suresh was working in shift. It looked completely abandoned. From the gate, I saw the tea shop. It was almost 800 metres away. I walked through the lane with bushes covering on either side.

I walked through the lane where the murder had actually happened. I learnt from the police how the murder had happened. I just got down into the bushes trying to see what's there inside.

I could see a tiny strip of cloth coming out of the ground as a dog was biting it. I drove the dog away and tried pulling the strip out. It was a cleaning mop. There were some bloodstains on that.

When I connected the dots with Suresh's story, I identified the murderer. With happiness, I started to walk back to the gate. I heard a noise, a loud noise..  

I was beaten by someone. I fell down. The mop flew away from my hands. With blurred eyes, I saw a black apron. The building was bright with light....I was on the road.